
This paper considers the cultural reflection of William Blake 's literary madness in the shaping of the identitary image of "Howl"'s Beats, with the word beat interpreted as meaning beatifically mad. I underline the effect of this type of madness upon the hipsters who inspired and became inspirational trough Allen Ginsberg's groundbreaking American poem and the latter's portrayal of madness as both a consequence of social stigma and a source of prophetic self-confidence.